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In most museums, art is behind show glass with a “please do not touch” sign. But at the Everson Museum of Art’s new cafe, Louise, ceramic art is part of the dining experience, creating interaction between the patrons and the art.

“These are functional objects,” Elizabeth Dunbar, CEO and director of the Everson Museum, said. “They are created to be used. They are not fulfilling their function if they’re not being used.”

Louise, which opened its doors on July 24, blends art with cuisine. The cafe is named after Louise Rosenfield, a ceramics collector and Everson trustee. Customers can interact with Rosenfield’s collection while enjoying a meal crafted by Danielle Mercuri Campolito, CEO of Drēmer Restaurant Group, which owns Rise N Shine.

A simple conversation between Dunbar and Rosenfield sparked the idea for the museum’s cafe. Rosenfield’s dream was to donate her extensive collection of ceramics to a restaurant. Since opening a cafe has been a long-time priority of the Everson, the partnership came naturally.

Dunbar compared the merger to making a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

“You’ve got chocolate, and I’ve got peanut butter and you’ve got your chocolate in my peanut butter,” Dunbar said.

Rosenfield and Dunbar’s biggest aim is to not have the collection sitting still on a shelf. The cafe’s interactive qualities satisfy that hope, Rosenfield said. Customers can also scan a QR code on each piece to learn more about its history and the artist who created it. Rosenfield said she hopes that people will learn from their interactions with the ceramics and incorporate art into their daily lives.

Courtesy of Louise Rosenfield

Louise’s menu features a wide range of pastries, sandwiches, and more, all served on expertly-crafted ceramics from Louise Rosenfield’s collection.

Of the approximately 3,000 ceramics donated to the museum from Rosenfield’s collection, 1,500 are used for dining while the remaining are on display around the cafe. The pieces serve as vessels of connection between customers and artists, Dunbar said.

“I’ve seen people order tea services (at the Everson Museum) just so they could try out different teapots and tea cups,” Dunbar said. “They’re very intrigued by all the nuances of their cups or their plates and showing them off to the other people at the table.”

Rosenfield believes interacting with art improves everybody’s lives and hopes the cafe will inspire people to incorporate it more into their daily lives. She praised how patrons can admire a creation from sculptor Jun Kaneko Dango displayed in the front lobby, and then go to the cafe to drink from a cup that Dango made himself.

Besides the novel experience of interacting with art, Dunbar said the cuisine has customers returning. She said people have been thrilled with the menu and enjoyed the delectable foods on their plates.

Rosenfield credits CEO of Drēmer Restaurant Group Danielle Mercuri Campolito’s passion for food as a driving force behind Louise’s success. Rosenfield said Campolito is enamored with food in the same way she is with ceramics. By combining both of their passions, Rosenfield hopes to draw a wider audience to the cafe.

Campolito enjoys creating an atmosphere and menu that appeals to everyone. She said the cafe has united artists and foodies, and expanded their perspectives.

“(Louise is attracting) more people that weren’t in the art scene or even coming to the museum,” Campolito said. “Now they come for the food and get this different experience that has opened their eyes to the art world.”

Dunbar said she’s heard people ask for a cafe throughout her 10 years working at the museum. Now that it’s finally here, she feels fulfilled by the experience of creating it. She loves seeing people enjoying the space, food and artwork; that’s when she knew it all came together.

Dunbar said the most gratifying part of the experience, however, was making Rosenfield’s dream come true.

“I couldn’t have I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator than Louise Rosenfield,” Dunbar said. “It’s really a tribute to her that this exists and people will have a different understanding of functional art.”

Published on September 3, 2024 at 10:48 pm

Contact: Jepryor@syr.edu